"His Majesty means to marry Princess Qi Xia and let Prince Li marry Princess Ling Yun."
Ye Li glimpsed at Ye Ying, who was sitting beside Mo Jing Li, looking gloomily at Princess Ling Yun. Around where envoys from Nan Zhao were, Princess Qi Xia looked upset as well. Mo Jing Li was clearly unhappy, too. He stared at Princess Ling Yun who felt that she was unjustly treated somberly. Ye Li looked pensively at Mo Jing Qi who was apparently happy about his orders, not knowing what the emperor had on his mind. Did he order Princess Ling Yun to marry Prince Li just because she had enraged him? However, Princess Qi Xia had been in the capital of Chu for several months, Mo Jing Qi must have known the gossip of what happened between Princess Qi Xia and Mo Jing Li.
"His Majesty won"t let Jing Li have anything to do with Nan Zhao any longer. Even if Princess Ling Yun isn"t here today, His Majesty won"t let Princess Qi Xia marry him." Mo Xiu Yao seemed to realize what Ye Li was confused about so he spoke softly by her side: "Though Nan Zhao is considered barbaric and it is a small country without strong people, its people are in fact valiant. They can"t achieve anything only because there are too few of them."
Ye Li said in a small voice: "Why doesn"t His Majesty want Prince Li to have any connections with Nan Zhao? Besides, Xi Ling seems more powerful than Nan Zhao."
Mo Xiu Yao laughed below his breath: "Xi Ling has been enemies with Great Chu for generations. Mo Jing Li won"t get any benefit from Xi Ling unless he commits treason. Besides... His Majesty won"t want a prince who has Xi Ling"s blood in his veins."
It dawned on Ye Li and she looked at Mo Jing Li with a little sympathy. It seemed that even the birth brother of the emperor didn"t have his trust.
Mo Xiu Yao laughed softly: "Ah Li, you have a tender heart. In the royal family, there"s n.o.body who"s born without ambition."
Ye Li stopped for a minute and considered what Mo Xiu Yao had said. There was a bit more reflection in her eyes when she looked at Mo Jing Li again. But... did Mo Jing Li have enough brain cells to consider such a complex matter? Or was he playing the ringer all this time?
When she was back in Prince Ding"s Manor, Ye Li was finally able to relax. She felt way more tired for the past half a day than she did the past month. Having left Mo Xiu Yao, Ye Li returned to her own yard when Lin mama and Wei mama welcomed her alongside of many other servants. Apparently, the news of what happened that afternoon in the palace had already reached the manor. Two mamas looked Ye Li up and down only setting their minds at ease after they were sure that she was safe and sound. Ye Li asked for a midnight snack to fill herself up. Lin mama waved her hands sending for chicken soup which clearly was prepared earlier.
Ye Li looked at the chicken soup in front of her which was enough to fill three people up: "Mama, I"m indeed hungry, but there"s no way I can eat all that up."
Wei mama gave her an unhappy glance and said: "Princess, do you think you are the only one that"s hungry?"
Ye Li blinked her eyes with confusion since Qing Luan and the other maids already went to have their own meals.
Wei mama looked at her with pity while put the soup in her hands and said: "His Highness went to the study. Princess, you better bring the soup and eat it with His Highness."
"That"s... not necessary. I"ll send someone to give it to Ah Jin."
"Princess!" Lin mama stared at Ye Li with all seriousness and said: "You are His Highness"s wife. it"s not proper to ask others to send him a midnight snack. Did second lady forget to teach you the way of a wife when you were in Xu Family?"
Seeing that Lin mama was going to continue with her teachings, Ye Li carried the soup with discreet and said: "Mama, I see. I"ll take it to His Highness right away." She didn"t wait until Lin mama replied and ran outside with the soup in her hands. Ye Li felt that she was treated unfairly. Both mamas chattered interminably, however, compared with her wet nurse Wei mama, Ye Li was more afraid of Lin mama who had been by her mother"s side for many years. Whenever Lin mama started to talk, she would certainly quote the cla.s.sics to support her argument until Ye Li yielded and admitted her mistake. Average people wouldn"t be able to take such double attacks from both the verbal and mental aspects.
Ye Li had no choice but to carry the chicken soup walking along the corridors in the manor while the maids who were following her kept their distance sensibly. Mo Xiu Yao still lived in the yard where he had lived before their wedding, which was beside Ye Li"s yard. So Ye Li was outside Mo Xiu Yao"s study before she finished her complaint. She was about to knock on the door when she heard Mo Xiu Yao"s voice from inside the study: "Ah Li, is that you? Come in."
Opening the door, she went inside and saw that Mo Xiu Yao was writing something in the candle light. He lifted his head and looked at her while asking: "Haven"t rested yet, have you?"
Ye Li walked over and put the soup aside, asking: "Am I disturbing you?"
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head. Seeing what she had put on the table, he laughed with his eyebrows raised: "Are you here to send me a midnight snack?"
Not knowing why, Ye Li felt her cheeks heating up and pretended to be calm: "Well, I can"t send you a midnight snack or what?"
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head, putting down the pen and laughed: "I"m only curious why you have come yourself. Well... it explains why n.o.body remembered to send me anything to eat since I have come back for a while. It seems that n.o.body else care to worry about me any longer since I married my princess."
Ye Li rolled her eyes at him and said: "Are you going to eat or not?"
Mo Xiu Yao nodded: "Of course, it you that brings it yourself."
The two of them sat by the table. Ye Li took two bowls and filled them up with soup, pa.s.sing one of them to Mo Xiu Yao first. Though they have been sharing meals with each other for the past few days, it was the first time that they had a midnight snack together.
While they were having the soup, Mo Xiu Yao thought for a while before he said: "If you don"t have arrangement tomorrow, how about we go and visit sister-in-law?"
Ye Li nodded and said: "It has been a while. We do need to visit her. I hope she won"t blame us for that."
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head: "She won"t mind that."
"Is there anything that I need to prepare?" Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head: "We only need to visit her."
Ye Li could only feel pity every time she thought of that sister-in-law who she had never seen before. It was quite a pity that a woman would let her life go to waste at such a beautiful age.
"What did you do with the maid from tonight?" Ye Li asked about the maid who was on her way tonight in the palace after she thought about it.
Mo Xiu Yao frowned: "She wasn"t really a maid in the palace."
"Was she?" Ye Li was surprised. When did the palace become a place that anyone could enter whenever they wanted to? If that was really the case, how could the emperor fall asleep at night?
Mo Xiu Yao smiled: "That she wasn"t a registered maid doesn"t mean she didn"t belong to the palace. Those in the palace who are able always have some cards in their hands that are unknown to others."
"But that maid looked so ordinary."
Mo Xiu Yao said, unmoved: "Sometimes, a person as ordinary as she is could be a trump card."
"Did you not get out of her mouth who she worked for?"
"She was a death warrior." Mo Xiu Yao said.
Ye Li understood that. A death warrior only had death waiting for her if she failed her mission which explained why Mo Xiu Yao got nothing out of her.
"However, no many people in the palace have death warriors. So, Ah Li... be careful next time you go to the palace."
"I see." Ye Li nodded. She didn"t like to risk her life either.